EU Drops Sanctions On Milosevic, Family, Associates

BRUSSELS -- The European Union has dropped its sanctions against the former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, his family, and political associates.

The asset freeze, imposed in 2000, included Milosevic, his wife, Mirjana Markovic, and his son, Marko, as well as former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and ex-Defense Minister Dragoljub Ojdanic, among others.

EU sources told RFE/RL that the sanctions were dropped because the individuals on the list no longer posed any threats to the European Union.

It remains unclear what assets, if any, the individuals on the list hold in EU countries.

Milosevic faced charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his alleged central role in the wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo during the 1990s.

He also faced genocide charges over the 1992-95 Bosnia war, in which 100,000 people died.

He was found dead in the detention center at The Hague tribunal on March 11, 2006.